Why Pussy Riot’s ‘Amnesty’ Could Backfire on Putin

Maria Alyokhina (center), one of Pussy Riot members, giving an interview after her release from a penitentiary in Nizhny Novgorod.

European Pressphoto Agency

Putting the members of Pussy Riot in jail may turn out to be one of Putin‘s worst mistakes. The art collective (which pretends to be a punk band) always had a talent for identifying and articulating Russia’s most pressing political and social issues, and nearly two years behind bars have made its members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina that much better informed and better equipped to do what they do.

Alyokhina, who was released several hours before her friend and co-defendant, came out of the penal-colony gates like she was late for a meeting. A couple of years late: she said she had to quickly put herself together and fly to Krasnoyarsk, the Siberian city where Tolokonnikova has been held, to discuss their plans for a prisoners rights NGO.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova speaks to the media as she leaves the prison in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, Monday.

Associated Press

Alyokhina had been jailhouse-lawyering pretty much from the day she arrived in a penal colony over a year ago. Tolokonnikova joined the fight this fall, with a heart-wrenching open letter on prison conditions and a dangerous hunger strike. Over the last three months, Tolokonnikova’s husband, Petya Verzilov, has been shuttling back and forth between the two inmates, helping them hatch a plan for a new prisoners rights movement.

Judging from comments she has made to friends and to the media, it appears Alyokhina tried to reject Putin’s amnesty: she wanted to serve out the two months left in her sentence so she could continue helping fellow inmates. In her first comments outside the prison gates, Tolokonnikova also expressed concern for women she was leaving behind.

“I have not changed a bit since I was jailed,” she added. “I have become stronger and more resilient. I hope now I can work to change the country for the better. I’ll be trying to do that.”

Two years ago, Putin ordered a bunch of punks jailed. Now he has two strong opponents who have the trust and respect of hundreds of thousands of Russians and millions around the world. He probably has no idea Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina walked out of jail on the 27th anniversary of Andrei Sakharov’s return from forced internal exile.

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